


Burned Out

by MiiniPop



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood and Gore, Body Horror, Gen, Infinite Tsukuyomi, Temporary Character Death, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:53:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29339346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiiniPop/pseuds/MiiniPop
Summary: Rin smiled down at him, and for a second she looked older, wiser, but it disappeared before the image could solidify. “Good.”The sun was warm, not too bright, the grass beneath him as soft as an embrace, and closing his eyes, Obito smiled.It's perfect.-He tried to stand, to get any bit of strength in his body, to activate his Sharingan, to anything. But the strength was gone, his chakra depleted to a single drop, and Obito could only watch as Rin, beautiful, angelic Rin, jumped up from where she was stood, and stepped in front of Kakashi.Obito felt his heart break for the second, third, fourth time, shattering to smithereens at the splattering of blood that spewed like a waterfall down Rin’s back, illuminated by the glare of the Chidori.
Relationships: Namikaze Minato/Uzumaki Kushina
Comments: 4
Kudos: 22





	Burned Out

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is inspired by the lyrics of Burned Out by dodie.
> 
> This chapter was inspired by Human, a song by dodie.

The high-noon sun warmed his chilled skin, the grass a gentle embrace that he laid upon. The flow of a river echoes somewhere in the forest next to him, the sound of animals and insects alike a background chorus that sings a silent song. There was a bustle of people behind him, the clear sense of _life_ in the noises coming from it providing a content atmosphere.

It was a wonderful day, perfect, even, and Obito took it all in with a smile. The clouds above him moved slowly, in sync with the breeze, and the shades of leaves at the top of trees blocked out the brightest of the sun, leaving only warmth.

A hand reached out, brushed one of his own, and Obito looked over. Rin looked back, the corners of her eyes wrinkled with laughter, dressed in downtime clothes with no headband in sight. The light surrounded her, like the glow from a halo, and Obito couldn’t help but stare at this perfect, _perfect,_ human being. Couldn’t help but feel the love that spiraled under his skin, ready to burst.

Soft laughter reached his ears, and Obito looked to the right, dragging his eyes away from Rin to look at the rest of their small group. Kushina was bright, happy, a bundle of joy swaddled and wrapped, cradled in her arms. Minato was leaning over, whispering something in her ear that made her giggle more, and Kakashi was sitting a ways away, setting up the lunch box with his shoulders shaking.

A family, the rest of his family, all together. 

His perfect family of choice.

A hand tangled with his own, smoothing at the soft skin, fingers slotting together. 

“It’s nice, isn't it?” Rin said, and when Obito looked, she was also staring at the other four. “No fighting, no war. Just..”

“Peace.” Obito’s smile widened, relaxing even further into the grass, “it’s… amazing, yeah.” 

He wanted it to stay like this, to freeze the world like it was a picture, capture the moment and engrain it into his memory. Bury it under his skin until it was part of him.

Rin huffed a laugh, smoothing her free hand through her hair. It was longer, just a bit, but it looked good on her. Obito hoped she kept it that way. 

“Yeah..” She leaned forward, resting her cheek on her hand. “Amazing.”

There was a moment of silence between them. They watched as Minato squabbled with Kakashi, trying to help with the preparation of setting out all the food, and Kushina narrated along to baby Naruto, the babe now awake and giggling up a storm with every face Kushina used. The basket of food almost went tipping over when Kakashi jerked over to grab something Minto held out of reach, and Obito couldn’t stop the smile that crossed his face at the duel panic of Kakashi and Minato fumbling to save it all.

It was lighthearted, everyone enjoying themselves. As everyone should be.

“Hey, Obito,” Rin said. 

“Yeah?”

Rin was silent for a few seconds, before the hand tightened against his own. “You know we love you, right? All of us?”

“Of course.” Obito sent a look in her direction, wondering what this was about. He’d never doubted it in the first place.

Rin seemed to get that. “Not just us,” she motioned to their group, “But.. others, too.”

Obito was silent for a moment, thinking of the other people he knew. There was his clan, little Shisui with his big smile and Itachi, who was always a quiet kid but followed him around whenever he was home. There's Fugaku and Mikoto, who both made sure he was invited when he was around, and a handful of other people, cousins and aunts and uncles.

And there were other people, too. Like Gai, who was more Kakashi’s friend but made sure no one was left out. There was the talented Genma and the sickly Hayate and Yugao who was Kakashi’s new apprentice, Jiraiya and the other Sannin who come and go but always meet up with Team Minato in some way.

“Of course,” Obito said, again, hushed. Because he knew people did like, _love,_ him, because everyone in Konoha were family, blood related or not. But. It was not to the extent that his team was. They’d grown closer because of a mutual sense of trust, fighting for each other and sacrificing all they could give just so that the rest of the team could escape unhurt. 

Their family wasn’t always perfect, the road leading up to it rough and bumpy, but it was now. Perfect, that was, because they had all the time in the world to focus on it with peace now settled through the lands.

Rin smiled down at him, and for a second she looked older, wiser, but it disappeared before the image could solidify. “Good.”

The sun was warm, not too bright, the grass beneath him as soft as an embrace, and closing his eyes, Obito smiled.

_It's perfect._

* * *

The first thing he noticed when he came-to was the deathly silence that surrounded him. His body was hot, burning, the right side oversensitive while the left felt numb, useless. An overwhelming scent of mud and rain touched the back of his nose, overpowering and cold and _familiar,_ and copper lingered between his teeth, blood flowing from somewhere but touching his tongue when he licked at dried lips.

It took a long time, perhaps minutes, maybe hours, possibly even days, but Obito willed up the energy to open his eyes, forehead creasing as rain poured around him.

He couldn't hear as they hit the ground.

He was slumped against a tree, left foot twisted at an awkward angle, roots strewn around him as the ground he laid on dented further than it should be. There was a body just a few feet away, neck twisted, a leg missing, a polished Kirigakure headband wrapped around one arm. There was a trickle of blood making its way towards him.

Obito swallowed once, then again when that did nothing to clear the confusion, eyes glancing away from the trickling blood to peer over the edge of the crater he was in.

There were people, many of them, all dressed similarly in style and, from what he could see, all wearing a kirigakure headband somewhere. Weapons were thrown, silent to his ears, people were shouting, and there was a lot of movement. They weren’t paying attention to Obito, but that was the least of his problems.

 _What’s happening_.

He shouldn’t be here, not at all. He should be in Konoha, enjoying a perfect day out with Rin and Kakashi and Minato, Kushina and baby Naruto joining along. A perfect day, a perfect year, a perfect decade.

Why was he here?

The silence that encased his being suddenly burst, and at once, the world roared to life. Obito flinched as a hundred different things suddenly because hearable, the rain that looked so peaceful now a torrent of rushing water that hit the ground in hard pitter patters, the sound of steel on steel an awful screech that shot through his entire being, the shouts of people heavily accented with a eastern accent, sounding everywhere yet nowhere at a single moment, the-

There was a flash of light from somewhere in the frey, groups jumping back as the awful birds songs started up from within. Obito watched, dead eyed but filled with horror, as Kakashi stood in the middle, holding the wrist that was straining beneath the _chidori._

He tried to stand, to get any bit of strength in his body, to activate his Sharingan, to _anything._ But the strength was gone, his chakra depleted to a single drop, and Obito could only watch as Rin, _beautiful, angelic Rin_ , jumped up from where she was stood, and stepped in front of Kakashi.

Obito felt his heart break for the second, third, fourth time, shattering to smithereens at the splattering of blood that spewed like a waterfall down Rin’s back, illuminated by the glare of the Chidori.

_Why am I here?_

_Is this purgatory?_

Wasn’t it enough that he had to go through this once? Why does he have to witness this again? Why? He shouldn’t be here. He’d made up for his sins, slaved away for years to make the Infinite Tsukuyomi a possibility, to make the perfect peace. Where everyone lived without trouble or guilt, where even the worst people were welcomed.

There was a pause in the people surrounding Kakashi and Rin, all of them weary for a reason Obito couldn’t disconcern. Kakashi pulled his arm out with a tug, catching Rin when she started to fall. Obito felt hate rage through him at the way Kakashi held her close, because it was _his_ fault that Rin was _dead, again,_ and Kakashi had no _right_ to hold her like that-

Another pause, as Kakashi held her, and then collapsed. The Kirigakure shinobi settled, then, knowing that there was no other fight to be fought. A few jumped away, disappearing quickly behind trees and rocks, and others stayed, one or two approaching Rin wearily.

Obito tried, he tried so fucking hard to just stand up, _just stand, Kami-damn it,_ to get their filthy hands off her body. They didn’t deserve it, didn’t belong there, dirtying up Rin with their _filth-_

There was a shift in the air, the ground rumbling ominously, and Obito looked up and saw himself.

There weren’t two seconds to think, then. Wood erupts from the ground just as Obito remembered, shouts echoing with words that Obito remembered, the bodies being skewered and torn apart and blood and guts falling to the floor as Obito remembered, and the person behind it moving through time and space _as_ _Obito remembered._

He could recite all the moves like a prayer, the Sharingan having burned it all into his mind like a scar. A remembered routine but with a different perspective. And Obito could only watch as he, because it was undeniably him with the red eye full of fury, Guruguru wrapped around like a second skin, killed everyone on the scene, until only Obito was left. 

Bodies fell to the ground, sliding off staffs and spikes with wet thuds and the rain making quick work of the running blood.

He didn’t seem to notice Obito, not yet. Obito couldn’t tell if it was because of the little chakra he currently had, the fact he hadn’t moved since he’d woken up, or some other reason. And quite frankly, he didn’t care.

His other self crumpled, curled over Rin with a pain Obito felt clearly, making noises that only someone who had lost their whole world could.

Obito remembered this moment, and he knew this was exactly when all the stress and pain and desperation come to a boiling point, bubbling past cracks and escaping. Could still feel it, grumbling in the deepest but brightest corners of his mind.

Obito knew this was the point of change, the point of no return. Because Rin was _dead,_ the only person Obito had been training and training for, to return back to her side strong enough to protect her of even the most horrifying people, the only person he got off that fucking cot for, she was dead, _dead,_ and if there was any reason to live in the athermath of that, in the Hell many people call living, then it was to bring Rin _back to life._

The other him rose, then, turning to stare at Kakashi’s still form. From the small amount of his face he could see, most covered with overgrown hair, Obito could make out the look of anger and grief, running down to the bone. He was nodding at something, and Obito had a vague memory of Guruguru saying _we have to leave, before others arrive._

The other him turned, gave a soft touch to Rin, and then disappeared towards where he arrived from.

Obito watched him go, watching the figure dash between trees until he was no longer visible. He watched until he felt his eyes start to water, until every breath he took was hitching and the numbness started to fade in exchange for- _something._

 _I don't want to be here_ , he thought, staring at Rin’s dead body, Kakashi collapsed besides her. _I don't want to do this again_ , he thought, watching as men and women jump down from the trees, surveying the damage. _I don't-_

The people were surveying the damage done, the red tint to the floor and the strewn guts and entrails that had been flung without care. Over half of their squad was now dead, a dip in their forces. Three people surrounded Rin, scrolls and brushes and their hands infused with a sickly green, another person crouched by Kakashi, checking for a pulse, and then someone made noise not too far away. Obito looked over, only to see a Kirigakure shinobi staring back, face scrunched and hand on his sword, ready to make a call.

There was a noise, and then once more, the floor erupted in a volley of wooden spikes. There was no escape, no time to defend, and the last of the people went down with a crunch of ribs and skulls, one or two gurgling before falling silent.

Obito stared, tears still falling, as Guruguru slowly sunk from the floor, crouched before him. There was a pause, observing each other.

“.. Obito,” Guruguru said, slowly, cautiously. It tilted its head, imitating motions it’d learnt, before asking, “Obito?”

Obito waited a beat, let out a shaky nod, and whispered, “yeah.”

Guruguru was still, observing his crumpled form, the broken leg and white hair, so different from the other him here, Obito knew, and yet there was undeniable proof in the Hirishima cells coating his right side, the blackened seal standing proudly over his heart. There were only a limited amount of people who knew about those two things, one of them dead, and the rest not willing to share the secrets behind them.

“Wow..” Guruguru awed, hand reaching out to touch the scars on his face. Obito tried to stay still, because Guruguru has and always will be a friend, and bore the childish excitement as best he could. Fingers tangled with his fringe. “What happened?”

Obito swallowed, trying a smile and falling short. “We did it,” is all he said, but Guruguru’s hand stopped, looking at him despite not having any eyes.

“Did it? You mean-?” there was downright glee in its voice.

Guruguru was a friend, a mentor, and the one most passionate about the Infinite Tsukuyomi, the avid supporter who thought all it knew to Obito.

“ _Yes,_ ” Obito says, the feeling of victory starting to bubble in his stomach. It felt like only yesterday that it started, the moon turning blood red and the fighting stopping at once, but Obito knew it’d been a long time since that point. Longer than he knew. “It- it took a while, Guru, but we did it.”

Guruguru was practically vibrating at that, a happiness that’d gotten more and more rare now bright and vibrant in its voice, “What are you doing here then? Shouldn’t you be with Rin? That’s what you wanted, right?”

At that, Obito dropped the half hearted smile that had been growing, glancing over Guruguru’s shoulder to Rin’s still form. “I- I don't know.” he admits, and the dread started to full up his stomach again, because he didn’t. “I just- Maybe I- I don’t _know_ why I'm-”

Guruguru followed his gaze, its face turning towards the two people on the floor. “Ah,” it says, “You saw that.”

Obito didn’t say anything, just staring with trembling lips.

“I’m…” Guruguru started, and the hesitance in its voice made Obito drag his eyes away. Guruguru was scratching at his arm, giving him a side glance. “I’m supposed to extract the girl. To keep her safe.”

Obito blinked. “She’s _dead._ ” he said accusingly, “How can she be safe?”

“She’s not,” Guruguru says, as blunt as always, “The Sanbi heals, see?”

There was nothing to see but Rin lying there with a hole where her heart should be.

“.. what.”

“It’s my job!” It was stated proudly, as if Guruguru was unaware of the real issue with that, “I have to make sure she’s okay, so that the Sanbi doesn’t escape! Then it’ll be transferred to the new host!”

 _Sanbi. Three-tails._ Yagura was the host of the Sanbi. Obito knew he was. He was the one to capture it. But. _It can’t… Madara_ _wouldn't-_

“ _Guru_.”

“Yes?” Guruguru was halfway through standing.

Obito swallowed, disbelief clawing through his entire body. “What do you mean… transfer to a new host.”

Guruguru shot him a look, crossing its arms. “You haven't got a concussion, have you? You’re always a bit slow when you do.” It shook its head like it was disappointed, and Obito just wanted to grab Guruguru’s shoulders and _shake._ “It's _my_ job to transfer the Sanbi over to it's new host. And the new host _wants_ the Sanbi, how crazy is that?!”

“You _can’t-_ ” Obito croaks out, jerking up to try and finally get a foot under himself. “You’ll kill her if you-” 

He didn’t finish that. It didn’t need to be finished. Obito tried to wrap his head around the fact Rin was _alive, notdeadnotdead, the hole in her chest means_ **_nothing-_ **

Guruguru shrugged, still not at the point of understanding empathy or getting just how damning the information it was telling him was. “It’s my job.”

 _'It's my job'._ The only person Guruguru worked for was Madara, and if he was gone, Zetsu.

Obito got one foot under himself, using the tree behind him as leverage and standing as straight as he could. He hurt, all over, inside and out, but that meant nothing right now.

“No.”

“No?” Guruguru tilted its head, watching as Obito struggled. “Why no?”

“Rin is supposed to be _dead._ You let me _believe_ she was dead _._ And now you’re telling me she’s been alive this whole time? _No._ ” He took a step towards Rin’s body, using his broken ankle for extra speed no matter how hard the bones ground together.

“But- it’s my job?!” Guruguru said, turning as Obito stumbled passed. It sounded personally offended, like it _mattered._

“And I’m your _fucking friend._ ” Obito snarled over his shoulder, feeling betrayed through and through, because they were friends and _more._ They had fought a war together, merged into one being and saving each other left and right, spending years and _years_ working towards a single goal that both of them believed in.

To know that Guruguru had lied, had _kept_ this from him. _Madara's orders or not._

_No._

“Oh.” 

Obito made his way out of the crater, almost slipping back in when his good foot caught on a root. A hand wrapped around his arm, holding him steady, and Obito yanked it away. “Don’t you- _don’t you dare fucking touch me.”_

Guruguru made the wise choice and stepped away, hands raised in surrender, silent, and Obito snarled as he continued his way to Rin.

With a last stumble, tripping over shards of wood and the remains of shinobi, he collapsed by her side. His hands raised, bile crawinging up from his stomach as he stared at the gaping hole. It seemed like a futile effort to place his hands over it, because it didn’t matter how much blood she lost when her heart was _gone, exploded to pieces while the air smelt like burnt flesh from the lightning that had_ **_cauterized as it had gonethrough-_ **

Obito pressed his hands down, anyway, hope burning low embers but _there_.

It felt like hours, just sitting there, staring at the gash, at where her chest should be rising and falling, the silence loud behind him and the rain soaking him down to the bone now that he was out from beneath the tree.

Then the flesh moved, bubbled slightly and a flush of congealed blood forced its way through burnt out arteries and solidified as soon as it slid down, building up the flesh and muscles and bone bit by bit.

Obito just about sobbed, shoulders shaking and head bowing. _It’s true,_ he thought. _It’s fucking true._

He’d seen this before, many times, hidden in trees or behind rocks. He’d seen the way jinchuriki had healed up from life-threatening wounds, from torn throats and ingested poison, and he’s seen the way insides would transform into missing compartments, a miracle and an abomination all in one.

But he’d also seen the way that the people who held the Bijuu were surrounded by people, hands coated in green and ink and everyone working together so that the monster inside didn’t break free.

_She needs help._

“We- we need to get her to-" _Madara_ , Obito wanted to say. _'It's my job',_ Guruguru had said. "to- Konoha!” 

_They'd actually help her, Bijuu or not,_ Obito though, bitterly.

“... what about the plan?”

“What fucking plan?” his voice raised an octave, anger brewing beneath his skin. He shot an impatient look at Guruguru, “What plan, Guru?”

Guruguru shrugged, waving a hand, “The Infinite Tsukuyomi? You said we managed it, right? We can't do it without the Sanbi, and if you're not willing to help-"

“I- you- I'll figure it out, okay?! And I’ll help you. I’ll fucking help you, just- just-” His hands pressed harder into the open wound, “I need- I just-”

_Deep breath._

“... Okay.” 

Obito didn’t look up, focused on the slowly healing wound and his shaky breathing. Every exhale brought up a lump with it, and Obito fought to breath through it, of the anger and betrayal and a hundred different thoughts and emotions running through him.

There was a hiss behind him, the sound of flesh rubbing flesh, and a second later Obito felt Guruguru start to encase him. It was risky, handing over control, but he physically wouldn’t be able to leave the clearing without some form of help. Whatever brought him here, brought him away from his perfect world and into this nightmare, it hadn’t given much care for the state of his body, and the small movements he’d made just to get to Rin had exhausted him. 

Never mind the fact that his chakra levels were depleted to a nill, something he hadn’t had to worry about for years now. They were filling up, though, drop at a time.

Obito’s arms moved on their own, now encased in Guruguru’s body, picking up Rin with ease and cradling her.

“What of the boy?” Guruguru asked, “Shall we leave him?”

Obito thought for a second, looking at Kakashi’s still form. He should. He should leave him here, slash his throat and tear his heart out and let the worms eat away at his corpse like the piece of _trash he was_ -

But.

He thought of his family, his _perfect_ little family, and thought of the Kakashi that stood at a distance but was never _distant._ Quite but never _cold._ Unrelenting in the face of pleas and whines and a babies tantrum, yet never dismissive behind the wants. Always keeping a note of what catches peoples eyes.

Obito _wants_ with a fiery burn that almost shocks him, but doesn't.

“If- if he won’t slow us down, take- bring him.”

Branches lift Kakashi off the ground, securing him onto their back with a twine of stick wrapping around wrists and legs, securing him.

Obito took a deep breath, taking in the deep scented rain and metallic hint of washed away blood for what's hopefully, _hopefully,_ the last time.

“Let’s go,” he said, and Guruguru moved.

* * *

It was almost night time by the time they came to a stop just outside the borders of Konoha, Guruguru stopping almost as suddenly as they started. 

“This is it. Any further and the Sanbi will be set free.” Guruguru said. “What now?”

Obito looked at the forest in front of them, the looming walls of Konoha casting a heavy shadow even from so far away. Guruguru unraveled the head piece for a better view, and Obito took a moment to just look around.

The forest was dense with native foliage. It was dark, the sun setting and the trees blocking most of the light that tried to peek through. Obito had a second of doubt, but one glance at Rin settled any desire to retreat he had.

“Just- draw some attention,“ Obito commanded.

“Got it.”

His legs were shifted back, steadying themselves, and then the ground in front of them bubbled. Obito watched as thin, dark wood trees exploded from the ground, growing rapidly higher and higher until they passed the unnatural height of the Konoha bred trees, only stopping when there was no doubt that someone saw. 

Heaving a sigh, Obito said, “Thanks...”, relaxing into the firm presence of Guruguru, letting his eye’s drop shut.

There was no reply, only Guruguru moving to an area more noticeable.

The found faint footsteps, approaching fast, broke Obito out of the doze he’d dropped into. The last few hours had caught up to him, and coming back to alertness, the numbness from before returns full force.

“Obito wants me back.”

“Huh?” Obito blinked.

“The other Obito,” Guruguru clarified. “He wanted me to explain the plan to him, but I left to find you before I could explain. He wants me back.”

“Go, then,” Obito mentally waved him away. Guruguru didn’t waste another second, detaching with an ease it was born with, and sunk into the tree behind them without a word. Obito almost buckled under the sudden weight, his ankle protesting painfully as he put force on it.

He couldn’t lean back to alleviate the pain, what with Kakashi wrapped on tight, and he didn’t dare put Rin down, even if he wanted to detach the boy. Instead, he settled most of his weight onto his right foot, only using the left for balance. He stood and waited.

Someone landed in front of him, light and almost too quiet to hear, but the fast breaths were far too noticeable to ignore. There was a beat, the breaths faltering, before a harsh voice barked out, “Who are you? Why have you got my students?”

Obito grimaced, glancing at the familiar face, breathing out heavily. Minato stared back, kunai in hand and eyes darting between the three of them. He looked concerned. Obito could guess why.

“She needs medical attention,” Obito said. His hands tightened where they were holding her. “She’s healing, but not fast enough.”

Minato stepped forward without lowering his guard, waving his other hand discreetly. Obito looked to the trees for a second, seeing nothing but knowing many people occupied the branches.

“What do you want in return?”

“Nothing.” Obito truthfully said, “Just- just heal her.”

Minato glanced away, still for a second, and then two people landed by Obito, hands washed in green. “Okay… Who are you? If you wanted out attention, you should have gone through the front gate, instead of.. this.”

There was a hesitance in his words as he looked up at the dark wood tree. It was obvious why, considering the Mokuton had been a lost bloodline for a few decades by now.

Obito sneered at the people beside him, but allowed them to scan Rin and Kakashi. “You won't find a pulse, but she’s healing. She just needs some help.” Obito informed them, and the hands hovering over the hole in Rin’s chest paused.

“... Why’s that?” Minato had stepped closer, eyes locked onto Rin with a fear that Obito felt himself. 

Obito smiled, half hearted, “She’s a Jinchuuriki,” He stated, staring at Minato. Hands jerked away from the corner of his vision, but he didn’t look away as Minato locked eyes with him. “They heal. That’s what they do. And be thankful for it.”

Minato seemed at a loss for words, lips pursed. “Iwa?”

“Kirigakure, actually. The seal is set to release the Sanbi once we reach Konoha, so I can’t go any further than this.”

A curse left Minato, the kunai stashed away and hands reaching for the sealing kit on his waist. He took a step forward, and Obito took one back. “Stay right there.”

A look of fury settled on his face. “Why?”

“You’re not touching it,” Obito stated. “Not you. Kushina. She knows more about Jinchuuriki seals.”

“That's not public knowledge.” Minato’s hand went to his kunai pouch again, “Who _are_ you?” he asked again.

Obito debated, knowing the look that was bared on him, and knew the man wouldn’t leave without an answer. _Tobi,_ Obito though he should say, but there was no mask to wear, and his personality had already been established. There was no point in trying to mask that now. _Madara,_ perhaps, but Obito knew it would raise a lot of questions, and throwing such a name out there might screw up a plan or two. After all, it was only the Akatsuki that had knowledge of the name for years, and there was a reason behind it.

“Obito Uchiha,” He said, shrugging, and he could see the way Minato’s chest stuttered. “Just not the one from here, apparently.”

“So- so- so what, an age transformation jutsu? Time travel? You could be faking this, my- my student is common knowledge, after all.”

“ _Your_ student was a kid when- _he_ died, why would anyone-” Obito shook his head, “No- nevermind- I don't know, alright? I don't exactly want to be here, either, but it's apparently out of my control. I just need you to help Rin."

There was a hardness to Minato’s jaw, hesitation still obvious in his form. Obito tacked on, aiming to hurt, accusation in his voice, “She isn’t alive where I’m from.”

That seemed to do it, and Minato huffed out a, “Stay here,” before throwing a three-pronged Kunai to the grown and disappearing in a flash. People surrounded Obito in his absence, two holding swords and another three standing and watching from the base of trees. Obito looked at them, seeing how tense they were.

There wasn’t long to wait. Just as Obito considered sitting down, the pain in his ankle becoming more than just a nuisance from keeping so still, Minato reappeared, Kushina in arms.

“That’s him,” Minato nodded helpfully towards Obito, and Kushina’s eyebrows raised as she took in his appearance.

“O-Obito?” There was disbelief on her face.

“Kushina,” Obito felt his body soften at the tone of her voice, because she was one of the few people he’d ever regretted killing. She was a pillar in their group, always there when needed, and yet not the cause of any death or destruction. “Rin needs your help.”

Kushina shot a look at Minato, and he nodded. Kushina came closer, and Obito held Rin out further. Kushina didn't hesitate, then.

A kunai was brought through the over-skirt Rin wore, and a hand lifted up the shirt to peer at the mess of a seal that lined Rin’s stomach. It was harsh, messily scribbled but understandable, obviously done under too little time. There was a circle in the middle, growing a hot red and flaking at the edges. 

“ _Shit_..”

Obito blinked at the swear, taking that as a bad sign. “You know how to fix it.”

“I know how to temporarily fix it,” Kushina corrected, already digging through her pockets. She let out a harsh sigh, pulling out three different tags and a small vial of ink, “I’m not the seal’s master here, Minato passed me in that area years ago-”

“You have to do it.” Obito interrupted, glancing at Minato over Kushina’s shoulder. He looked tense, hands fisted at his sides but standing behind the invisible boundary. “I’ll leave if you don't.”

“Okay, okay, way to put some pressure on me, jeeze,” Kushina tried to joke, awkward laughter dying out as soon as it rose, “I can cancel out the timer, that much I know. I can’t do much about the actual seal holding the Bijuu in,” she points at a very curly part off to the side, “I need to build it up as I’m taking it apart, and I can't do that here. Nor that,” She points to the right side, where some words-but-not-words were, “It’s filtering the chakra out, even if it’s supplying less than a normal jinchuuriki seal would. Remove it and her chakra coils would be burnt to a crisp.”

Obito nods along, watching as Kushina scribbles some very quick strokes onto one of the tags. There was a pause, the seal being compared to the one on Rin’s stomach, before the second tag was being scribbled on. There was a slight change from the first one, but it was compared again and then Kushina started on the third seal.

“I can hold it off for 48 hours,“ She said, writing something completely different from the first two. Obito couldn’t help but be impressed. Seals were a skill that didn’t come naturally, and he didn’t know a lot even after practicing it enough to recognise what sign meant what and what symbols connected what. Watching someone make a complex seal, almost from scratch, in under two minutes, left him with a bit of respect.

“I could do more, _but_ it would mean I would have to sacrifice strength for time. At least we know the Bijuu won't be breaking any time soon, even if we don't have much time.” With a last flick of a wrist, the seal was set right on the glowing centre of Rin’s stomach and activated with chakra.

The tag burnt to ashes, hot but harmless, and there was a new seal over the old one, filling in any blank spots that used to be there with a single line going through the centre. 

Kushina stepped back. “That’s all I can do for now,“ She said, putting everything away, “She’s healing, but she’ll need some support if she wants to make it through.”

“I know,” Obito said. 

Kushina shot him a look, then turned to Minato. “Take us to Konoha, would you? The hospital, if that’s possible.”

Minato opened his mouth to respond, but Obito interrupted. “It’s fine, I can get there on my own. I’ve got enough chakra.”

Kushina’s dubious look spoke volumes. “You’ve got a broken ankle and two children hanging off you. It’ll take at least an hour to reach the side entrance, and Rin needed care yesterday.”

Obito pulled Rin closer, frowning. “I've got it.”

“And how's that?” Kushina said, unrelenting. 

Minato took a step closer, not seeming to care of the way Obito shot a glare his direction, “It would be quicker if I-”

“Sharingan,” Obito said, not really expecting them to understand but to at least stop asking. There was little known about many Kekkei Genkai’s because of the secretary around them, clans unwilling to give up vital information, and it was no different now. He didn’t expect Kushina’s eyes to light up, understanding something.

“Ah, got it. You go ahead, and we’ll meet you there.” She waved a hand at Minato, who looked like he was about to object. 

Obito eyed her wearily, then nodded. “Okay.”

Without a word, he activated his Sharingan, then the Mangekyou, and disappeared in a warp of air. His chakra dropped back to dangerous levels, but when he reappeared, he stood in the main entrance of Konoha hospital.

**Author's Note:**

> First, tell me what you thought of this! I was thinking about just keeping this a draft, since it's so self-indulgent and it's only my second wip fic, but I feel like I need to contribute to the small pile of Obito Time Travel lol. Obito is best boy. 
> 
> This was supposed to be 10k, but I thought the scene was getting a lil long. My overall goal is 40k, so I'll do 8 chapters of 5k. Also, I thought the song I chose, Human, was a nice touch given Obito's inhuman actions lol. They get worse, don't worry.
> 
> and just a little- I absolutely adore Guruguru, if you can't tell. You'll see them in the future. And some of this was absolutely free-handed, because a bit of research completely threw my original plan away coughcoughMadarawasthereasonRinhastheSanbicoughcough, so my plan of Obito taking Rin to Madara is gone. Don't fault me for not knowing, my entire knowledge of shippunden is from fanfics and wikis. I stopped watching after the 20th episode.
> 
> And uh, serious question for the rest of this fic. Would you rather an alternating POV? Going through all of Team Minato, and changing with every 2nd chapter. Or would you prefer all Obito Pov? And what should I do with with Young!Obito? He's just kind of floating through the plot rn, I don't have a solid plan for him lol. And although the universe is very canon compliant so far, that's going to change very fucking fast like omg
> 
> Sorry for the long note! They'll be shorter in the future! But tell me what you thought, really. Comments keep me alive lol


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